Two stage control channel for peer-to-peer communication

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wireless communications by a peer device. The method generates control information to schedule peer-to-peer communication. The control information includes a first portion with a first set of data and a second portion with a second set of data. The method then transmits the first portion of the control information in a first stage using first time and frequency resources. The first portion indicates a control information format of the second portion. The method further transmits the second portion of the control information in a second stage using second time and frequency resources and the indicated control information format.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/826,878, filed on Mar. 29, 2019, hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth belowand for all applicable purposes.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wirelesscommunications systems, and more particularly, to sending controlinformation for scheduling peer-to-peer traffic.

Description of Related Art

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustelecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging,broadcasts, etc. These systems may employ multiple-access technologiescapable of supporting communications with multiple users by sharingavailable system resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power).Examples of such multiple-access systems include 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTEAdvanced (LTE-A) systems, code division multiple access (CDMA) systems,time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency divisionmultiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multipleaccess (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multipleaccess (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code divisionmultiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

In some examples, a wireless multiple-access communication system mayinclude a number of base stations (BSs) that each can simultaneouslysupport communication for multiple communication devices, otherwiseknown as user equipment (UEs). In LTE or LTE-A network, a set of one ormore gNBs may define an e NodeB (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in anext generation, new radio (NR), or 5G network), a wireless multipleaccess communication system may include a number of distributed units(DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs),smart radio heads (SRHs), transmission reception points (TRPs), etc.) incommunication with a number of central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes(CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), where a set of one or moredistributed units, in communication with a central unit, may define anaccess node (e.g., a NR BS, a NR NB, a network node, a 5G NB, a nextgeneration NB (gNB), etc.). A gNB or DU may communicate with a set ofUEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station orto a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a gNBor DU).

These multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national,regional, and even global level. NR (e.g., 5G radio access) is anexample of an emerging telecommunication standard. NR is a set ofenhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. It isdesigned to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improvingspectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use ofnew spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards usingOFDMA with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL) and on the uplink(UL) as well as support beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.

However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues toincrease, there exists a need for further improvements in NR and LTEtechnology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to othermulti-access technologies and the telecommunication standards thatemploy these technologies.

Such improvements may help enable “peer to peer” communication between avariety of devices, also referred to as device to device (D2D)communications. Examples of D2D communications include vehicle toeverything (V2X) communications, where a vehicle may communicate withanother vehicle (V2V) or a different device, such as a base station,traffic control system, or the like (all of which may help enableautonomous driving).

BRIEF SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices of the disclosure each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure as expressedby the claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly.After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading thesection entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how thefeatures of this disclosure provide advantages that include improvedpeer to peer communication.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wirelesscommunications by a peer device. The method includes generating controlinformation to schedule peer-to-peer communication, wherein the controlinformation comprises a first portion with a first set of data and asecond portion with a second set of data; transmitting the first portionof the control information in a first stage using first time andfrequency resources, wherein the first portion indicates a controlinformation format of the second portion; and transmitting the secondportion of the control information in a second stage using second timeand frequency resources and the indicated control information format.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a peer wirelesscommunications device. The peer wireless communication device includes amemory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor isconfigured to generate control information to schedule peer-to-peercommunication, wherein the control information comprises a first portionwith a first set of data and a second portion with a second set of data;transmit the first portion of the control information in a first stageusing first time and frequency resources, wherein the first portionindicates a control information format of the second portion; andtransmit the second portion of the control information in a second stageusing second time and frequency resources and the indicated controlinformation format.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a peer wirelesscommunication device. The peer wireless communication device includesmeans for generating control information to schedule peer-to-peercommunication, wherein the control information comprises a first portionwith a first set of data and a second portion with a second set of data;transmitting the first portion of the control information in a firststage using first time and frequency resources, wherein the firstportion indicates a control information format of the second portion;and transmitting the second portion of the control information in asecond stage using second time and frequency resources and the indicatedcontrol information format.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium that stores instructions that whenexecuted by a peer wireless communication device cause the peer wirelesscommunication device to generate control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, wherein the control information comprises afirst portion with a first set of data and a second portion with asecond set of data; transmit the first portion of the controlinformation in a first stage using first time and frequency resources,wherein the first portion indicates a control information format of thesecond portion; and transmit the second portion of the controlinformation in a second stage using second time and frequency resourcesand the indicated control information format.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wirelesscommunications by a peer device. The method includes receiving, in afirst stage using first time and frequency resources, a first portion ofcontrol information to schedule peer-to-peer communication, the firstportion including a first set of data and an indication of a controlinformation format of a second portion of the control information; andreceiving, in a second stage using second time and frequency resourcesand the indication of the control information format, the second portionof the control information, the second portion comprising a second setof data.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a peer wirelesscommunications device. The peer wireless communication device includes amemory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor isconfigured to receive, in a first stage using first time and frequencyresources, a first portion of control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, the first portion including a first set ofdata and an indication of a control information format of a secondportion of the control information; and receive, in a second stage usingsecond time and frequency resources and the indication of the controlinformation format, the second portion of the control information, thesecond portion comprising a second set of data.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a peer wirelesscommunication device. The peer wireless communication device includesmeans for receiving, in a first stage using first time and frequencyresources, a first portion of control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, the first portion including a first set ofdata and an indication of a control information format of a secondportion of the control information; and receiving, in a second stageusing second time and frequency resources and the indication of thecontrol information format, the second portion of the controlinformation, the second portion comprising a second set of data.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium that stores instructions that whenexecuted by a peer wireless communication device cause the peer wirelesscommunication device to receive, in a first stage using first time andfrequency resources, a first portion of control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, the first portion including a first set ofdata and an indication of a control information format of a secondportion of the control information; and receive, in a second stage usingsecond time and frequency resources and the indication of the controlinformation format, the second portion of the control information, thesecond portion comprising a second set of data.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreaspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative featuresof the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, ofbut a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspectsmay be employed, and this description is intended to include all suchaspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description,briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some ofwhich are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted,however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typicalaspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be consideredlimiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equallyeffective aspects.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an exampletelecommunications system, in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a design of anexample base station (B S) and user equipment (UE), in accordance withcertain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a frame format for a new radio (NR)system, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate example V2X deployments, in which aspects ofthe present disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of control information sent in a singletransmission, in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates example operations for a transmitting peer device(e.g., a V2X UE), in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates example operations for a receiving peer device (e.g.,a V2X UE), in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates example formats for control information sent inmultiple stages, in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates example resource mapping for a single stagetransmission of control information, in accordance with certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate example resource mapping for multi-stagetransmission of control information, in accordance with certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate example resource mapping for multi-stagetransmission of control information, in accordance with certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate example resource mapping for multi-stagetransmission of control information, in accordance with certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates example resource mapping for a multi-stagetransmission of control information, in accordance with certain aspectsof the present disclosure.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspectmay be beneficially utilized on other aspects without specificrecitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As noted above, examples of peer-to-peer (also referred to asdevice-to-device or D2D) communications include vehicle to everything(V2X) communications where a vehicle may communicate with anothervehicle (V2V) or a different device, such as a base station, trafficcontrol system, or the like.

One challenge in V2X systems is to support different types of traffic.The different types of traffic require different types of controlinformation. As a result, a single control channel format is inefficientas the payload may be too large for some types of traffic, resulting ina waste of resources. In addition a single format to schedule differenttypes of traffic may result in a large number of blind decodingoperations.

Aspects of the present disclosure may help address this challenge bysending control information for scheduling peer-to-peer (e.g. V2X)traffic in multiple stages.

The techniques presented herein may be applied in various scenarios,such as NR (new radio access technology or 5G technology). NR maysupport various wireless communication services, such as enhanced mobilebroadband (eMBB) targeting wide bandwidth (e.g. 80 MHz beyond),millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequency (e.g. 27 GHz orbeyond), massive machine type communications (mMTC) targetingnon-backward compatible MTC techniques, and/or mission criticaltargeting ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). Theseservices may include latency and reliability requirements. Theseservices may also have different transmission time intervals (TTI) tomeet respective quality of service (QoS) requirements. In addition,these services may co-exist in the same subframe.

In certain systems, (e.g., 3GPP Release-13 long term evolution (LTE)networks), enhanced machine type communications (eMTC) are supported,targeting low cost devices, often at the cost of lower throughput. eMTCmay involve half-duplex (HD) operation in which uplink transmissions anddownlink transmissions can both be performed—but not simultaneously.Some eMTC devices (e.g., eMTC UEs) may look at (e.g., be configured withor monitor) no more than around 1 MHz or six resource blocks (RBs) ofbandwidth at any given time. eMTC UEs may be configured to receive nomore than around 1000 bits per subframe. For example, these eMTC UEs maysupport a max throughput of around 300 Kbits per second. This throughputmay be sufficient for certain eMTC use cases, such as certain activitytracking, smart meter tracking, and/or updates, etc., which may consistof infrequent transmissions of small amounts of data; however, greaterthroughput for eMTC devices may be desirable for other cases, such ascertain Internet-of-Things (IoT) use cases, wearables such as smartwatches, etc.

The following description provides examples, and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes maybe made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Various examples may omit,substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. Forinstance, the methods described may be performed in an order differentfrom that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, orcombined. Also, features described with respect to some examples may becombined in some other examples. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intendedto cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. Itshould be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed hereinmay be embodied by one or more elements of a claim. The word “exemplary”is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, orillustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is notnecessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication networks such as LTE, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA andother networks. The terms “network” and “system” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology such asUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includesWideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. cdma2000 coversIS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement aradio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).An OFDMA network may implement a radio technology such as NR (e.g. 5GRA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11(Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA andE-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). NRis an emerging wireless communications technology under development inconjunction with the 5G Technology Forum (5GTF). 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are releases of UMTS that useE-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A and GSM are described indocuments from an organization named “3rd Generation PartnershipProject” (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from anorganization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). Thetechniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks andradio technologies mentioned above as well as other wireless networksand radio technologies. For clarity, while aspects may be describedherein using terminology commonly associated with 3G and/or 4G wirelesstechnologies, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied in othergeneration-based communication systems, such as 5G and later, includingNR technologies.

Example Wireless Communications System

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network 100 in which aspects ofthe present disclosure may be performed. For example, techniquespresented herein may help transmitting control information forscheduling peer-to-peer traffic in multiple stages. For example, basestations 110 and UEs 120 (e.g., V2V UEs, such as UE120v-1, 120v-2, andUE 120v-3) may perform operations 700 and/or 800 to send controlinformation in multiple stages (and/or process the same).

The wireless network 100 may be, for example, a new radio (NR) or 5Gnetwork. A UE 120 may be configured for enhanced machine typecommunications (eMTC). The UE 120 may be considered a low cost device,low cost UE, eMTC device, and/or eMTC UE. The UE 120 can be configuredto support higher bandwidth and/or data rates (e.g., higher than 1 MHz).The UE 120 may be configured with a plurality of narrowband regions(e.g., 24 resource blocks (RBs) or 96 RBs). The UE 120 may receive aresource allocation, from a gNB 110, allocating frequency hoppedresources within a system bandwidth for the UE 120 to monitor and/ortransmit on. The resource allocation can indicate non-contiguousnarrowband frequency resources for uplink transmission in at least onesubframe. The resource allocation may indicate frequency resources arenot contained within a bandwidth capability of the UE to monitor fordownlink transmission. The UE 120 may determine, based on the resourceallocation, different narrowband than the resources indicated in theresource allocation from the gNB 110 for uplink transmission or formonitoring. The resource allocation indication (e.g., such as thatincluded in the downlink control information (DCI)) may include a set ofallocated subframes, frequency hopping related parameters, and anexplicit resource allocation on the first subframe of the allocatedsubframes. The frequency hopped resource allocation on subsequentsubframes are obtained by applying the frequency hopping procedure basedon the frequency hopping related parameters (which may also be partlyincluded in the DCI and configured partly through radio resource control(RRC) signaling) starting from the resources allocated on the firstsubframe of the allocated subframes.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless network 100 may include a numberof gNBs 110 and other network entities. A gNB may be a station thatcommunicates with UEs. Each gNB 110 may provide communication coveragefor a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer toa coverage area of a Node B and/or a NB subsystem serving this coveragearea, depending on the context in which the term is used. In NR systems,the term “cell” and NB, next generation NB (gNB), 5G NB, access point(AP), BS, NR BS, or transmission reception point (TRP) may beinterchangeable. In some examples, a cell may not necessarily bestationary, and the geographic area of the cell may move according tothe location of a mobile gNB. In some examples, the gNBs may beinterconnected to one another and/or to one or more other gNBs ornetwork nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 through varioustypes of backhaul interfaces such as a direct physical connection, avirtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a givengeographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular radioaccess technology (RAT) and may operate on one or more frequencies. ARAT may also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface,etc. A frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, a frequencychannel, a tone, a subband, a subcarrier, etc. Each frequency maysupport a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoidinterference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases,NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

A gNB may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell,a femto cell, and/or other types of cell. A macro cell may cover arelatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius)and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. Apico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell maycover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allowrestricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell (e.g.,UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in the home,etc.). A gNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro gNB. A gNBfor a pico cell may be referred to as a pico gNB. A gNB for a femto cellmay be referred to as a femto gNB or a home gNB. In the example shown inFIG. 1, the gNBs 110 a, 110 b and 110 c may be macro gNBs for the macrocells 102 a, 102 b and 102 c, respectively. The gNB 110 x may be a picogNB for a pico cell 102 x. The gNBs 110 y and 110 z may be femto gNB forthe femto cells 102 y and 102 z, respectively. A gNB may support one ormultiple (e.g., three) cells.

The wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relaystation is a station that receives a transmission of data and/or otherinformation from an upstream station (e.g., a gNB or a UE) and sends atransmission of the data and/or other information to a downstreamstation (e.g., a UE or a gNB). A relay station may also be a UE thatrelays transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown in FIG. 1, arelay station 110 r may communicate with the gNB 110 a and a UE 120 r inorder to facilitate communication between the gNB 110 a and the UE 120r. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay gNB, a relay, etc.

The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includesgNBs of different types, e.g., macro gNB, pico gNB, femto gNB, relays,etc. These different types of gNBs may have different transmit powerlevels, different coverage areas, and different impact on interferencein the wireless network 100. For example, a macro gNB may have a hightransmit power level (e.g., 20 Watts) whereas pico gNB, femto gNB, andrelays may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 1 Watt).

The wireless network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronousoperation. For synchronous operation, the gNBs may have similar frametiming, and transmissions from different gNBs may be approximatelyaligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the gNBs may have differentframe timing, and transmissions from different gNBs may not be alignedin time. The techniques described herein may be used for bothsynchronous and asynchronous operation.

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of gNBs and providecoordination and control for these gNBs. The network controller 130 maycommunicate with the gNBs 110 via a backhaul. The gNBs 110 may alsocommunicate with one another, for example, directly or indirectly viawireless or wireline backhaul.

The UEs 120 (e.g., 120 x, 120 y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout thewireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE mayalso be referred to as a mobile station, a terminal, an access terminal,a subscriber unit, a station, a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), acellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), awireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, alaptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station,a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, anultrabook, a medical device or medical equipment, a biometricsensor/device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, smart clothing,smart glasses, a smart wrist band, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring, asmart bracelet, etc.), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, avideo device, a satellite radio, etc.), a vehicular component or sensor,a smart meter/sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a globalpositioning system device, or any other suitable device that isconfigured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. Some UEs maybe considered evolved or machine-type communication (MTC) devices orevolved MTC (eMTC) devices. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example,robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, locationtags, etc., that may communicate with a gNB, another device (e.g.,remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide, forexample, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area networksuch as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wirelesscommunication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet-of-Things (IoT)devices or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices.

In FIG. 1, a solid line with double arrows indicates desiredtransmissions between a UE and a serving gNB, which is a gNB designatedto serve the UE on the downlink and/or uplink. A finely dashed line withdouble arrows indicates interfering transmissions between a UE and agNB.

Certain wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrierfrequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDMpartition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers,which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarriermay be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent inthe frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. Thespacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total numberof subcarriers (K) may be dependent on the system bandwidth. Forexample, the spacing of the subcarriers may be 15 kHz and the minimumresource allocation (e.g., an RB) may be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz).Consequently, the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024or 2048 for system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 megahertz (MHz),respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned intosubbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resourceblocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 subbands for system bandwidthof 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 MHz, respectively.

While aspects of the examples described herein may be associated withLTE technologies, aspects of the present disclosure may be applicablewith other wireless communications systems, such as NR.

NR may utilize OFDM with a CP on the uplink and downlink and includesupport for half-duplex operation using TDD. A single component carrierbandwidth of 100 MHz may be supported. NR resource blocks may span 12sub-carriers with a sub-carrier bandwidth of 75 kHz over a 0.1 msduration. Each radio frame may consist of two half frames, each halfframe consisting of 5 subframes, with a length of 10 ms. Consequently,each subframe may have a length of 1 ms. Each subframe may indicate alink direction (i.e., DL or UL) for data transmission and the linkdirection for each subframe may be dynamically switched. Each subframemay include DL/UL data as well as DL/UL control data. UL and DLsubframes for NR may be as described in more detail below with respectto FIGS. 6 and 7. Beamforming may be supported and beam direction may bedynamically configured. MIMO transmissions with precoding may also besupported. MIMO configurations in the DL may support up to 8 transmitantennas with multi-layer DL transmissions up to 8 streams and up to 2streams per UE. Multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per UEmay be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells may be supported with upto 8 serving cells.

In LTE, the basic transmission time interval (TTI) or packet duration isthe 1 subframe. In NR, a subframe is still 1 ms, but the basic TTI isreferred to as a slot. A subframe contains a variable number of slots(e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, . . . slots) depending on the tone-spacing (e.g.,15, 30, 60, 120, 240 . . . kHz).

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a gNB) allocates resources for communicationamong some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell.The scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning,reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinateentities. That is, for scheduled communication, subordinate entitiesutilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity. gNBs are not theonly entities that may function as a scheduling entity. That is, in someexamples, a UE may function as a scheduling entity, scheduling resourcesfor one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). Inthis example, the UE is functioning as a scheduling entity, and otherUEs utilize resources scheduled by the UE for wireless communication. AUE may function as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network,and/or in a mesh network. In a mesh network example, UEs may optionallycommunicate directly with one another in addition to communicating withthe scheduling entity.

Thus, in a wireless communication network with a scheduled access totime-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2Pconfiguration, and a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one ormore subordinate entities may communicate utilizing the scheduledresources.

FIG. 2 illustrates example components of the gNB 110 and UE 120illustrated in FIG. 1, which may be used to implement aspects of thepresent disclosure for frequency hopping for large bandwidthallocations. For example, antennas 252, Tx/Rx 222, processors 266, 258,264, and/or controller/processor 280 of the UE 120 and/or antennas 234,processors 260, 220, 238, and/or controller/processor 240 of the gNB 110may be used to perform the operations described herein and illustratedwith reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a design of a gNB 110 and a UE 120,which may be one of the gNBs and one of the UEs in FIG. 1. For arestricted association scenario, the gNB 110 may be the macro gNB 110 cin FIG. 1, and the UE 120 may be the UE 120 y. The gNB 110 may also begNB of some other type. The gNB 110 may be equipped with antennas 234 athrough 234 t, and the UE 120 may be equipped with antennas 252 athrough 252 r.

At the gNB 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a datasource 212 and control information from a controller/processor 240. Thecontrol information may be for the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH),Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), Physical Hybrid ARQIndicator Channel (PHICH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH),etc. The data may be for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH),etc. The processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) thedata and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols,respectively. The processor 220 may also generate reference symbols,e.g., for the PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signal (CRS). Atransmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 mayperform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, thecontrol symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and mayprovide output symbol streams to the modulators (MODs) 232 a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream(e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, andupconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal.Downlink signals from modulators 232 a through 232 t may be transmittedvia the antennas 234 a through 234 t, respectively.

At the UE 120, the antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlinksignals from the gNB 110 and may provide received signals to thedemodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r, respectively. Eachdemodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, anddigitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Eachdemodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM,etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtainreceived symbols from all the demodulators 254 a through 254 r, performMIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and providedetected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate,deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data forthe UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control informationto a controller/processor 280.

On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) froma data source 262 and control information (e.g., for the Physical UplinkControl Channel (PUCCH) from the controller/processor 280. The transmitprocessor 264 may also generate reference symbols for a referencesignal. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by aTX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by thedemodulators 254 a through 254 r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), andtransmitted to the gNB 110. At the gNB 110, the uplink signals from theUE 120 may be received by the antennas 234, processed by the modulators232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and furtherprocessed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and controlinformation sent by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may providethe decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control informationto the controller/processor 240.

The controllers/processors 240 and 280 may direct the operation at thegNB 110 and the UE 120, respectively. The processor 240 and/or otherprocessors and modules at the gNB 110 may perform or direct, e.g., theexecution of various processes for the techniques described herein. Theprocessor 280 and/or other processors and modules at the UE 120 may alsoperform or direct, e.g., the execution of the functional blocksillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, and/or other processes for the techniquesdescribed herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a frame format 300 for NR. Thetransmission timeline for each of the downlink and uplink may bepartitioned into units of radio frames. Each radio frame may have apredetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) and may be partitioned into 10subframes, each of 1 ms, with indices of 0 through 9. Each subframe mayinclude a variable number of slots depending on the subcarrier spacing.Each slot may include a variable number of symbol periods (e.g., 7 or 14symbols) depending on the subcarrier spacing. The symbol periods in eachslot may be assigned indices. A mini-slot, which may be referred to as asub-slot structure, refers to a transmit time interval having a durationless than a slot (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 symbols).

Each symbol in a slot may indicate a link direction (e.g., DL, UL, orflexible) for data transmission and the link direction for each subframemay be dynamically switched. The link directions may be based on theslot format. Each slot may include DL/UL data as well as DL/UL controlinformation.

In NR, a synchronization signal (SS) block is transmitted. The SS blockincludes a PSS, a SSS, and a two symbol PBCH. The SS block can betransmitted in a fixed slot location, such as the symbols 0-3 as shownin FIG. 3. The PSS and SSS may be used by UEs for cell search andacquisition. The PSS may provide half-frame timing, the SS may providethe CP length and frame timing. The PSS and SSS may provide the cellidentity. The PBCH carries some basic system information, such asdownlink system bandwidth, timing information within radio frame, SSburst set periodicity, system frame number, etc. The SS blocks may beorganized into SS bursts to support beam sweeping. Further systeminformation such as, remaining minimum system information (RMSI), systeminformation blocks (SIBs), other system information (OSI) can betransmitted on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in certainsubframes.

As noted above, LTE vehicle-to-everything (LTE-V2X) has been developedas a technology to address basic vehicular wireless communications toenhance road safety and the driving experience. In other systems, newradio vehicle-to-everything (NR-V2X) has been developed as an additionaltechnology that covers more advanced communication use cases to furtherenhance road safety and driving experience. Non-limiting embodiments forfrequencies covered may be, for example, 3 GHz to 5 GHz. As describedbelow, V2X systems, methods, and apparatuses may be applicable to bothLTE-V2X and NR-V2X as well as other frequencies. Other frequencyspectrums other than those covered by LTE-V2X and NR-V2X are alsoconsidered to be applicable to the description and as such, thedisclosure should not be considered limiting.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate example V2X systems in which aspects of thepresent disclosure may be practiced. The V2X system, provided in FIGS. 4and 5, provides two complementary transmission modes. A firsttransmission mode involves direct communications between participants inthe local area. Such communications are illustrated in FIG. 4. A secondtransmission mode involves network communications through a network asillustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first transmission mode allows for directcommunication between different participants in a given geographiclocation. As illustrated, a vehicle can have a communication with anindividual (V2P) through a PC5 interface. Communications between avehicle and another vehicle (V2V) may also occur through a PC5interface. In a like manner, communication may occur from a vehicle toother highway components, such as a signal (V2I) through a PC5interface. In each embodiment illustrated, two-way communication cantake place between elements, therefore each element may be a transmitterand a receiver of information. In the configuration provided, the firsttransmission mode is a self-managed system and no network assistance isprovided. Such transmission modes provide for reduced cost and increasedreliability as network service interruptions do not occur duringhandover operations for moving vehicles. Resource assignments do notneed coordination between operators and subscription to a network is notnecessary, therefore there is reduced complexity for such self-managedsystems.

In one, non-limiting embodiment, the V2X system is configured to work ina 5.9 GHz spectrum, thus any vehicle with an equipped system may accessthis common frequency and share information. Such harmonized/commonspectrum operations allows for safe operation. V2X operations may alsoco-exist with 802.11p operations by being placed on different channels,thus existing 802.11p operations will not be disturbed by theintroduction of V2X systems. In one non-limiting embodiment, the V2Xsystem may be operated in a 10 MHz band that describes/contains basicsafety services. In other non-limiting embodiments, the V2X system maysupport advanced safety services in addition to basic safety servicesdescribed above. In another non-limiting embodiment, the V2X system maybe used in a 5G NR V2X configuration, which is configured to interfacewith a wide variety of devices. By utilizing a 5G NR V2X configuration,multi Gbps rates for download and upload may be provided. In a V2Xsystem that uses a 5G NR V2X configuration, latency is kept low, forexample 1 ms, to enhance operation of the V2X system, even inchallenging environments.

Referring to FIG. 5, a second of two complementary transmission modes isillustrated. In the illustrated embodiment, a vehicle may communicatewith another vehicle through network communications. These networkcommunications may occur through discrete nodes, such as eNodeBs, thatsend and receive information between vehicles. The networkcommunications may be used, for example, for long range communicationsbetween vehicles, such as noting the presence of an accidentapproximately 1 mile ahead. Other types of communication may be sent bythe node to vehicles, such as traffic flow conditions, road hazardwarnings, environmental/weather reports, service station availabilityand other like data. Data can be obtained from cloud-based sharingservices.

For network communications, residential service units (RSUs) may beutilized as well as 4G/5G small cell communication technologies tobenefit in more highly covered areas to allow real time information tobe shared among V2X users. As the number of RSUs diminishes, the V2Xsystems may rely more on small cell communications, as necessary.

In either of the two complementary transmission modes, higher layers maybe leveraged to tune congestion control parameters. In high densityvehicle deployment areas, using higher layers for such functionsprovides an enhanced performance on lower layers due to congestioncontrol for PHY/MAC.

The vehicle systems that use V2X technologies have significantadvantages over 802.11p technologies. Conventional 802.11p technologieshave limited scaling capabilities and access control can be problematic.In V2X technologies, two vehicles apart from one another may use thesame resource without incident as there are no denied access requests.V2X technologies also have advantages over 802.11p technologies as theseV2X technologies are designed to meet latency requirements, even formoving vehicles, thus allowing for scheduling and access to resources ina timely manner.

In the instance of a blind curve scenario, road conditions may play anintegral part in decision making opportunities for vehicles. V2Xcommunications can provide for significant safety of operators wherestopping distance estimations may be performed on a vehicle by vehiclebasis. These stopping distance estimations allow for traffic to flowaround courses, such as a blind curve, with greater vehicle safety,while maximizing the travel speed and efficiency.

Example Multi-Stage Control Channel Transmission

As noted above, one challenge in V2X systems is to support differenttypes of traffic. The different types of traffic require different typesof control information. As a result, a single control channel format isinefficient as the payload may be too large for some types of traffic,resulting in a waste of resources. Further, if multiple formats are usedfor the single stage to reduce waste of resources, then the number offormats would be too large, thereby resulting in a large number of blinddecoding attempts.

FIG. 6 illustrates one example format for sending content of a controlchannel, such as a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) to scheduletraffic in a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), in a singletransmission, in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure. To cover all types of traffic, this format includesinformation that may not be needed for all types of traffic itschedules. For example, as will be described in greater detail below,certain information, such as Zone ID for distance based negativeacknowledgement (NACK) 610, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)ACK/NACK feedback 620, and channel state information-reference signal(CSI-RS) parameters 630 may not be needed for all types of traffic.Thus, sending this information when not needed is a waste of resources.As can be seen in the figure, the total payload size 640 for asingle-stage control information format may be 94 bits in order to beable to carry all of the required information.

Aspects of the present disclosure may help address this challenge bysending control information for scheduling peer-to-peer (e.g. V2X)traffic in multiple stages.

FIG. 7 illustrates example operations 700 for a transmitting peer device(e.g., a V2X UE), in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure. The operations 700 may be performed, for example, by a V2XUE 120 v shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., to schedule peer-to-peer traffic to oneor more other V2X UEs).

Operations 700 begin, at block 702, by generating content for a controlchannel to schedule peer-to-peer traffic intended for one or more otherpeer devices, wherein the content comprises a first portion with contentthat remains constant for different types of traffic and a secondportion with content that varies with the different types of traffic. At704, the UE transmits the first portion of the control channel in afirst stage using first time and frequency resources. At 706, the UEtransmits the second portion of the control channel in a second stageusing second time and frequency resources.

FIG. 8 illustrates example operations 800 for a receiving peer device(e.g., a V2X UE), in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure. The operations 800 may be performed, for example, by a V2XUE 120 v shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., to process a multi-stage control channeltransmission sent by one or more other V2X UEs performing operations700).

The operations 800 begin, at 802, by receiving, in a first stage usingfirst time and frequency resources, a first portion of a control channelto schedule peer-to-peer traffic, the first portion including contentthat remains constant for different types of traffic. At 804, the UEuses information in the first portion to decode, in a second stage usingsecond time and frequency resources, a second portion of the controlchannel, the second portion including content that varies with thedifferent types of traffic.

A multi-stage (e.g., 2-stage) transmission as proposed herein may helpaccommodate future needs and may allow for different sidelink controlinformation (SCI) formats for the second stage. FIG. 9 illustratesdifferent formats for the second stage, each with different types ofinformation and a different size payload.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the first stage may include resourcereservation content. In general, the multi-stage transmission splits thecontent of a control channel (e.g., PSCCH) into two stages, referred toherein as Control A and Control B.

In general, Control A may include content that is constant for differenttypes of traffic (e.g., resource reservation indication-assistscheduling) and may include information that would assist in theallocation of resource of channel in an efficient way. This informationmay not allow a UE to decode the actual data it schedules, but may letthe UE know what resources have been reserved and the like. Informationneeded to decode the data may be conveyed in the second stage (ControlB). Control A may include information needed to decode control B, like aformat indicator.

Some information may be conveyed in either Control A or Control B. Forexample, Control A could include a ZONE ID and/or DESTINATION ID thatmay define groups for Groupcast (e.g., Group ID)/Broadcast (e.g.,generic like 0)/Unicast (e.g., specific ID of the receiver). A Zone IDmay be indicative of location information of the transmitter. Theinformation could also include actual location information instead(e.g., GPS coordinates) and/or a transmitter ID. A UE may decode someinformation, look at the ID, then know if it has to decode the rest. Insome cases, a zone ID may indicate a location of transmitter (e.g., likeGPS coordinates). A receiver may use this information to decide if thereceiver is too far from the transmitter (e.g., and may ignore thetransmission) or if the receiver is in close proximity to thetransmitter so the transmission must be important.

The Control A and Control B transmissions may have different amount ofprotection/aggregation level/repetition (e.g., AL 3, repeating 3 times,with much better performance).

In general, the Control B information may include information thatvaries in content with the types of traffic (e.g., groupcast, broadcast,unicast). It may include additional information (relative to Control A)that is needed only for data decoding.

In some cases, the Control A and Control B information may be sent withdifferent link budgets for first and second stage transmissions. Forexample, the second stage may not need to have more link budget thandata.

By providing information for the second stage via Control A, blinddecoding may only need to be performed for the first stage. This may beaided by the reduced payload and may be further aided by limiting thetime and location of the Control A transmissions. As illustrated, thetotal decoding overhead of the first and second stages may be a bitincreased relative to a single stage transmission (e.g., total payloadmay increase due to an additional cyclic redundancy code (CRC)). Asillustrated in FIG. 9, an example control transmission may take 94 bitsin one stage control 910 with 8 bits for future proof, versus 113 (e.g.,the combination of control A 920 and control B 930, e.g., for group-casttraffic) or 99 bits (e.g., the combination of control A 920 and controlB 940, e.g., for unicast traffic) when sent in two stages.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show how control and data may be multiplexed in singlestage and multi-stage transmissions.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, resource mapping for single stage maybe 10 resource blocks (RBs)×3 symbols, with 2 symbols with comb-4demodulation reference signals (DMRS). This may result in a code rate ofapproximately 0.156 or 0.14 without reserved bits. For MCSO for NR, thecode rate may be approximately 0.11 (for table 1, 2) and approximately0.03 (for table 3).

In the mutli-stage examples shown in FIGS. 11A-11C, the first stageControl A information may have a target code rate, for example, of 0.1(or less), if mapped to two symbols. In some cases, the Control Ainformation may be limited to a single symbol. The code rate for thesecond stage (Control B) may vary. For example, different aggregationlevels can be defined and chosen by the transmitter based on the MCS ofdata.

There are various options for RE mapping. For example, FIG. 11Aillustrates a first option where Control B is mapped with Control A,which is somewhat similar to a single stage mapping (shown in FIG. 10).According to other options, as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C, Control Binformation may be multiplexed (“piggybacked”) with data (e.g., similarto uplink control information (UCI) multiplexing on PUSCH).

There are various options when Control B information is mapped togetherwith Control A information. These options may be illustrated byconsidering an example of Control B Info of 72 bits (e.g., for groupcastas shown in FIG. 9). This information could be sent using 1 symbol, asshown in FIG. 11A, which may result in a code rate of approximately 0.4(e.g., data MCS 12-28 for table 1). As another option, this informationcould be sent using 2 symbols, as shown in FIG. 11B, which may result ina code rate of approximately 0.17 (e.g., data MCS 2-28 for table 1). Asanother option, this information could be sent using 3 symbols, as shownin FIG. 11C, which may result in a code rate of approximately 0.12(e.g., data MCS 0/1-28 for table 1).

Three aggregation levels (signaled with 2 bits) may be sufficient formany types of control B formats. Further, different Control B formatsmay support only certain aggregation levels (e.g. AGG3 only needed forControl B for groupcast).

There are various options for Quasi Co Location (QCL) assumption on RSfor Control A and Control B. For example, for Control A, omni-liketransmission may be needed. Control B information may be directedtowards an intended receiver only. In unicast, if data DMRS is beingpre-coded, then the Control B information may also be precoded soControl-B and data will have similar link budgets.

In some cases, multi stage transmission may support non-QCL and/ordifferent precodings for RS on Control A and/or Control B, in general byspecification, or depending on the Control B format (unicast vs.groupcast/broadcast). For groupcast/broadcast, the RS may be QCL'ed.This may present a challenge in certain cases, for example, with carrierfrequency offset issues and performance under certain requirements, suchas certain speeds of the transmitter and/or receiver.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12A-12D, in some cases, there may be certainproblems when Control B is mapped together with Control A. For example,as illustrated in FIGS. 12B and 12D, problematic cases may arise ifmapping Control B to more than 1 symbol depending on speed (e.g., athigher speeds, more DMRS symbols may be needed). One approach to addressthis problem is to not limit Control B to the same frequency allocationas Control A (e.g., 10 RBs). In some cases, the size in RB may bedetermined, for example, by AGG level, Format, and/or the RB allocationfor data. For example, for a low-code rate Control B transmission, 15RBs may be allocated (i.e. data transmission minimum BW is 15 RBs).Control B information distributed non-uniformly over frequencies mayalso be possible (although this may not be ideal).

FIGS. 13A-C illustrate other options for when Control B is mappedtogether with Control A. As illustrated, Control B may have differentfrequency allocation than Control A. One limitation may be that somecombinations may not work (e.g., 10 RB data transmission at MCS0 with 3symbols for Control B with DMRS pattern 2 may not be allowed.). In somecases, the Control B may skip the DMRS location. In this case, the DMRSlocation or DMRS format should be indicated in the Control Ainformation.

FIG. 14 shows another option for Control B mapped information that issimilar to UCI multiplexing with PUSCH. The Control B information may bemapped to all layers for the data TB and may have the same modulation asdata. In some cases, the RE locations of Control B may need to bespecified depending on DMRS pattern density (possible). Control REs maybe made more robust than Data REs (e.g., by placing Control REs closerto RS symbols) and/or data may be rate matched (RM) around those REs.This approach may have an advantage in that control can be made tofollow data link budget. RE overheads are smaller (albeit at a cost interms of latency depending on control RE location).

There are various other options for the two stage control proposedherein. For example, the first stage may include all relevantinformation for broadcast traffic, such that receivers of broadcasttraffic would not have to decode the second stage.

Second stage control information may be transmitted in a similar fashionas data, such that DMRS, channel estimation, number of layers,precoding, and the like, are all performed in a similar fashion as data.

There may be multiple formats for the first stage, for example, withRSRP instead of distance for example may be two formats. There may bemultiple formats for each traffic type for second stage as well (e.g.,with Zone ID present/absent, RSRP/distance, feedback information).

The first stage may not always be accompanied by the second stage. Forexample, for reservation signals only, there may be no need for a secondstage. The first stage may also be used for pre-emption or unbooking ofreserved resources. Reserved resources can also be released bytransmission of only the first stage.

In some cases, Control A may be configured to be transmitted with acertain periodicity. In some cases, single Control A may be associatedwith multiple Control B transmissions.

In some cases, certain devices (e.g., RSU/Group leader transmissions)may send Control A transmissions. For example, Control A may betransmitted by RSU or group leader (not associated with a single ControlB). Other (member) UEs may transmit on the reserved resources (reservedby Control A) and transmit only Control B. Thus, multiple member UEs maytransmit Control B resulting a one-to-many mapping of Control A toControl B transmissions.

Control B transmissions may also occur on their own, for example, withthe implicit association to a Control A that has been transmitted in thepast. They may also occur on their own for retransmissions of the samepacket.

The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions forachieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may beinterchanged with one another without departing from the scope of theclaims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions isspecified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may bemodified without departing from the scope of the claims.

Example Embodiments

Embodiment 1: A method for wireless communications by a peer device,comprising: generating control information to schedule peer-to-peercommunication, wherein the control information comprises a first portionwith a first set of data and a second portion with a second set of data;transmitting the first portion of the control information in a firststage using first time and frequency resources, wherein the firstportion indicates a control information format of the second portion;and transmitting the second portion of the control information in asecond stage using second time and frequency resources and the indicatedcontrol information format.

Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the first portion istransmitted in a control channel comprising a physical sidelink controlchannel (PSCCH).

Embodiment 3: The method of any of embodiments 1 and 2, wherein thefirst set of data comprises information that indicates assignments ofresources for the peer-to-peer communication; and the second set of datacomprises at least one of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processidentification (ID), source ID, destination ID, new data indicator(NDI), or redundancy version ID (RVID).

Embodiment 4: The method of any of embodiments 1 and 2, the first set ofdata comprises at least one of: a periodicity if same resources arereserved for periodic peer-to-peer communication; or a quality ofservice (QoS) or priority of the peer-to-peer communication.

Embodiment 5: The method of any of embodiments 1 and 2, wherein thefirst set of data comprises a reference signal (RS) pattern for thesecond time and frequency resources.

Embodiment 6: The method of any of embodiments 1-3, wherein the secondset of data comprises at least one of: an identifier indicating one ormore intended recipients of traffic; information regarding a location ofa transmitter; or an identifier of the transmitter.

Embodiment 7: The method of any of embodiments 1-3, wherein the firstand second portions are transmitted with different code rates.

Embodiment 8: The method of embodiment 7, wherein the first portion istransmitted with a fixed code rate; and the second portion istransmitted with a code rate that varies.

Embodiment 9: The method of any of embodiments 1 and 8, whereintransmission of the second portion is multiplexed with datatransmission; and the second portion and the data transmission share atleast one of: demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel estimation,number of layers, or precoding.

Embodiment 10: The method of any of embodiments 1, 8, and 9, wherein thecontrol information format is one of a plurality of control informationformats, the control information format being based on a casting type ofthe peer-to-peer communication.

Embodiment 11: The method of embodiment 10, wherein based on the controlinformation format indicating a group-cast type, the second set of datacomprises a zone identifier.

Embodiment 12: The method of any of embodiments 1 and 11, wherein thesecond set of data included in the second portion of the controlinformation is based on a casting type of the peer-to-peercommunication.

Embodiment 13: The method of embodiment 1 and 12, wherein wherein thefirst and second portions are transmitted using at least one of:different quasi co-location (QCL) assumptions for reference signals(RS); or different precodings for RS.

Embodiment 14: A method for wireless communications by a peer device,comprising: receiving, in a first stage using first time and frequencyresources, a first portion of control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, the first portion including a first set ofdata and an indication of a control information format of a secondportion of the control information; and receiving, in a second stageusing second time and frequency resources and the indication of thecontrol information format, the second portion of the controlinformation, the second portion comprising a second set of data.

Embodiment 15: The method of embodiment 14, wherein the first portion istransmitted in a control channel comprising a physical sidelink controlchannel (PSCCH).

Embodiment 16: The method of any of embodiments 14 and 15, wherein: thefirst set of data comprises information that indicates assignments ofresources for the peer-to-peer communication; and the second set of datacomprises at least one of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processidentification (ID), source ID, destination ID, new data indicator(NDI), or redundancy version ID (RVID).

Embodiment 17: The method of any of embodiments 14 and 15, wherein thefirst set of data comprises at least one of: a periodicity if sameresources are reserved for periodic peer-to-peer communication; or aquality of service (QoS) or priority of the peer-to-peer communication.

Embodiment 18: The method of any of embodiments 14 and 15, wherein thefirst set of data comprise a reference signal (RS) pattern for thesecond time and frequency resources.

Embodiment 19: The method of any of embodiments 14, 15, and 18, whereinthe second set of data comprises at least one of: an identifierindicating one or more intended recipients of traffic; informationregarding a location of a transmitter; or an identifier of thetransmitter.

Embodiment 20: The method of any of embodiments 14, 15, 18, and 19,wherein the first and second portions are transmitted with differentcode rates.

Embodiment 21: The method of embodiment 20, wherein: the first portionis transmitted with a fixed code rate; and the second portion istransmitted with a code rate that varies.

Embodiment 22: The method of any of embodiments 14 and 21, wherein:transmission of the second portion is multiplexed with datatransmission; and the second portion and the data transmission share atleast one of: demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel estimation,number of layers, or precoding.

Embodiment 23: The method of any of embodiments 14, 21, and 22, whereinthe control information format is one of a plurality of controlinformation formats, the control information format being based on acasting type of the peer-to-peer communication.

Embodiment 24: The method of embodiment 23, wherein based on the controlinformation format indicating a group-cast type, the second set of datacomprises a zone identifier.

Embodiment 25: The method of any of embodiments 14 and 24, wherein thesecond set of data included in the second portion of the controlinformation is based on a casting type of the peer-to-peercommunication.

Embodiment 26: The method of any of embodiments 14, 24, and 25, whereinthe first and second portions are transmitted using at least one of:different quasi co-location (QCL) assumptions for reference signals(RS); or precodings for RS.

Embodiment 27: A peer wireless communication device, comprising: amemory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor beingconfigured to: generate control information to schedule peer-to-peercommunication, wherein the control information comprises a first portionwith a first set of data and a second portion with a second set of data;transmit the first portion of the control information in a first stageusing first time and frequency resources, wherein the first portionindicates a control information format of the second portion; andtransmit the second portion of the control information in a second stageusing second time and frequency resources and the indicated controlinformation format.

Embodiment 28: The peer wireless communication device of embodiment 27,wherein the control information format is one of a plurality of controlinformation formats, the control information format being based on acasting type of the peer-to-peer communication.

Embodiment 29: A peer wireless communication device, comprising: amemory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor beingconfigured to: receive, in a first stage using first time and frequencyresources, a first portion of control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, the first portion including a first set ofdata and an indication of a control information format of a secondportion of the control information; and receive, in a second stage usingsecond time and frequency resources and the indication of the controlinformation format, the second portion of the control information, thesecond portion comprising a second set of data.

Embodiment 30: The peer wireless communication device of embodiment 29,wherein the first portion is transmitted in a control channel comprisinga physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).

As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of itemsrefers to any combination of those items, including single members. Asan example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c,a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples ofthe same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b,b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

As used herein, the term “determining” encompasses a wide variety ofactions. For example, “determining” may include calculating, computing,processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in atable, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like.Also, “determining” may include receiving (e.g., receiving information),accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also,“determining” may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishingand the like.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. All structural andfunctional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects describedthroughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known tothose of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein byreference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover,nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the publicregardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in theclaims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recitedusing the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, theelement is recited using the phrase “step for.”

The various operations of methods described above may be performed byany suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions.The means may include various hardware and/or software component(s)and/or module(s), including, but not limited to a circuit, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or processor. Forexample, processors 266, 258, 264, and/or controller/processor 280 ofthe UE 120 shown in FIG. 2 may be configured to perform operations 700of FIG. 7 and/or operations 800 of FIG. 8.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits describedin connection with the present disclosure may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD),discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration maycomprise a processing system in a wireless node. The processing systemmay be implemented with a bus architecture. The bus may include anynumber of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specificapplication of the processing system and the overall design constraints.The bus may link together various circuits including a processor,machine-readable media, and a bus interface. The bus interface may beused to connect a network adapter, among other things, to the processingsystem via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement thesignal processing functions of the PHY layer. In the case of a UE 120(see FIG. 1), a user interface (e.g., keypad, display, mouse, joystick,etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link variousother circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators,power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in theart, and therefore, will not be described any further. The processor maybe implemented with one or more general-purpose and/or special-purposeprocessors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSPprocessors, and other circuitry that can execute software. Those skilledin the art will recognize how best to implement the describedfunctionality for the processing system depending on the particularapplication and the overall design constraints imposed on the overallsystem.

If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or transmittedover as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, data, or anycombination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware,middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.Computer-readable media include both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another. The processor may beresponsible for managing the bus and general processing, including theexecution of software modules stored on the machine-readable storagemedia. A computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to a processorsuch that the processor can read information from, and write informationto, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may beintegral to the processor. By way of example, the machine-readable mediamay include a transmission line, a carrier wave modulated by data,and/or a computer readable storage medium with instructions storedthereon separate from the wireless node, all of which may be accessed bythe processor through the bus interface. Alternatively, or in addition,the machine-readable media, or any portion thereof, may be integratedinto the processor, such as the case may be with cache and/or generalregister files. Examples of machine-readable storage media may include,by way of example, RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (ReadOnly Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, opticaldisks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or anycombination thereof. The machine-readable media may be embodied in acomputer-program product.

A software module may comprise a single instruction, or manyinstructions, and may be distributed over several different codesegments, among different programs, and across multiple storage media.The computer-readable media may comprise a number of software modules.The software modules include instructions that, when executed by anapparatus such as a processor, cause the processing system to performvarious functions. The software modules may include a transmissionmodule and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in asingle storage device or be distributed across multiple storage devices.By way of example, a software module may be loaded into RAM from a harddrive when a triggering event occurs. During execution of the softwaremodule, the processor may load some of the instructions into cache toincrease access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into ageneral register file for execution by the processor. When referring tothe functionality of a software module below, it will be understood thatsuch functionality is implemented by the processor when executinginstructions from that software module.

Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Forexample, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or otherremote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared(IR), radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, andmicrowave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, asused herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc,digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray® disc where disksusually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects computer-readable media maycomprise non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media).In addition, for other aspects computer-readable media may comprisetransitory computer-readable media (e.g., a signal). Combinations of theabove should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

Thus, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product forperforming the operations presented herein. For example, such a computerprogram product may comprise a computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions beingexecutable by one or more processors to perform the operations describedherein.

Further, it should be appreciated that modules and/or other appropriatemeans for performing the methods and techniques described herein can bedownloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and/or basestation as applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to aserver to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methodsdescribed herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can beprovided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage mediumsuch as a compact disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.), such that a userterminal and/or base station can obtain the various methods uponcoupling or providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, anyother suitable technique for providing the methods and techniquesdescribed herein to a device can be utilized.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the preciseconfiguration and components illustrated above. Various modifications,changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the methods and apparatus described above without departingfrom the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless communications by a peerdevice, comprising: generating control information to schedulepeer-to-peer communication, wherein the control information comprises afirst portion with a first set of data and a second portion with asecond set of data; transmitting the first portion of the controlinformation in a first stage using first time and frequency resources,wherein the first portion indicates a control information format of thesecond portion; and transmitting the second portion of the controlinformation in a second stage using second time and frequency resourcesand the indicated control information format.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the first portion is transmitted in a control channel comprisinga physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein: the first set of data comprises information that indicatesassignments of resources for the peer-to-peer communication; and thesecond set of data comprises at least one of hybrid automatic repeatrequest (HARQ) process identification (ID), source ID, destination ID,new data indicator (NDI), or redundancy version ID (RVID).
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the first set of data comprises at least one of: aperiodicity if same resources are reserved for periodic peer-to-peercommunication; or a quality of service (QoS) or priority of thepeer-to-peer communication.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstset of data comprises: a reference signal (RS) pattern for the secondtime and frequency resources.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thesecond set of data comprises at least one of: an identifier indicatingone or more intended recipients of traffic; information regarding alocation of a transmitter; or an identifier of the transmitter.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are transmittedwith different code rates.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein: the firstportion is transmitted with a fixed code rate; and the second portion istransmitted with a code rate that varies.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein: transmission of the second portion is multiplexed with datatransmission; and the second portion and the data transmission share atleast one of: demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel estimation,number of layers, or precoding.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thecontrol information format is one of a plurality of control informationformats, the control information format being based on a casting type ofthe peer-to-peer communication.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinbased on the control information format indicating a group-cast type,the second set of data comprises a zone identifier.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the second set of data included in the second portionof the control information is based on a casting type of thepeer-to-peer communication.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstand second portions are transmitted using at least one of: differentquasi co-location (QCL) assumptions for reference signals (RS); ordifferent precodings for RS.
 14. A method for wireless communications bya peer device, comprising: receiving, in a first stage using first timeand frequency resources, a first portion of control information toschedule peer-to-peer communication, the first portion including a firstset of data and an indication of a control information format of asecond portion of the control information; and receiving, in a secondstage using second time and frequency resources and the indication ofthe control information format, the second portion of the controlinformation, the second portion comprising a second set of data.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the first portion is transmitted in acontrol channel comprising a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).16. The method of claim 14, wherein: the first set of data comprisesinformation that indicates assignments of resources for the peer-to-peercommunication; and the second set of data comprises at least one ofhybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process identification (ID),source ID, destination ID, new data indicator (NDI), or redundancyversion ID (RVID).
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first set ofdata comprises at least one of: a periodicity if same resources arereserved for periodic peer-to-peer communication; or a quality ofservice (QoS) or priority of the peer-to-peer communication.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the first set of data comprises: a referencesignal (RS) pattern for the second time and frequency resources.
 19. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the second set of data comprises at leastone of: an identifier indicating one or more intended recipients oftraffic; information regarding a location of a transmitter; or anidentifier of the transmitter.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein thefirst and second portions are transmitted with different code rates. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein: the first portion is transmitted with afixed code rate; and the second portion is transmitted with a code ratethat varies.
 22. The method of claim 14, wherein: transmission of thesecond portion is multiplexed with data transmission; and the secondportion and the data transmission share at least one of: demodulationreference signals (DMRS), channel estimation, number of layers, orprecoding.
 23. The method of claim 14, wherein the control informationformat is one of a plurality of control information formats, the controlinformation format being based on a casting type of the peer-to-peercommunication.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein based on the controlinformation format indicating a group-cast type, the second set of datacomprises a zone identifier.
 25. The method of claim 14, wherein thesecond set of data included in the second portion of the controlinformation is based on a casting type of the peer-to-peercommunication.
 26. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and secondportions are transmitted using at least one of: different quasico-location (QCL) assumptions for reference signals (RS); or precodingsfor RS.
 27. A peer wireless communication device, comprising: a memory;and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configuredto: generate control information to schedule peer-to-peer communication,wherein the control information comprises a first portion with a firstset of data and a second portion with a second set of data; transmit thefirst portion of the control information in a first stage using firsttime and frequency resources, wherein the first portion indicates acontrol information format of the second portion; and transmit thesecond portion of the control information in a second stage using secondtime and frequency resources and the indicated control informationformat.
 28. The peer wireless communication device of claim 27, whereinthe control information format is one of a plurality of controlinformation formats, the control information format being based on acasting type of the peer-to-peer communication.
 29. A peer wirelesscommunication device, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled tothe memory, the processor being configured to: receive, in a first stageusing first time and frequency resources, a first portion of controlinformation to schedule peer-to-peer communication, the first portionincluding a first set of data and an indication of a control informationformat of a second portion of the control information; and receive, in asecond stage using second time and frequency resources and theindication of the control information format, the second portion of thecontrol information, the second portion comprising a second set of data.30. The peer wireless communication device of claim 29, wherein thefirst portion is transmitted in a control channel comprising a physicalsidelink control channel (PSCCH).